Christchurch Cathedral Sung Matins
For church this Sunday morning, we went to a Anglican service at Christchurch Cathedral. I liked it a lot more than Catholic and Lutheran services. The sermon was longer than I expected, though definitely not as long as most evangelical sermons. There was no communion or Eucharist, which surprised me. Most songs were sung by the choir, not the congregation. There were also readings out of the Book of Common Prayer. I thought they would have put up the sermon by now, but they haven't updated their page since Easter Sunday. Here's a link to their sermon page in case you're curious.
One of the ministers knew where Salem and Portland were in Oregon. I had milk in the priory while others had coffee. The cathedral is the only church in the world to also be both a cathedral and college chapel.
Oxford Divinity School
Next we visited the Oxford Divinity School & the Bodleian Library. The Divinity School was the filming location for a couple scenes in Harry Potter (where McDonagal taught the students to dance, and the hospital.) It's also the largest examination school at Oxford.
Manifold Greatness--Bodleian Library
I then went to the Bodleian exhibit on the King James Bible history. I saw Catholic manuscripts, a Wycliffe Bible, and maybe a Tyndale.
I couldn't take any pictures inside, but I did take notes on the history of English translations of the Bible. When James I/VI ascended to the throne, the Puritans sought changes in the church rituals and clerical dress. He only granted their request for a new translation of the Bible. It was based on the Great Bible (1539 revision, called "authorized" as a reaction to the Geneva Bible. It was never officially authorized.) Anne Boleyn had a copy of Tyndale's New Testament. She was a keen advocate of Reformed religion. Her husband Henry VIII was involved in Tyndale's arrest and death in Brussels. The Geneva bible was Elizabethans' favorite Bible for private reading. Catholics had their own translation of the Bible, which also influenced the King James. Wycliffe produced the first complete translation of the Bible in English. It likely happened in Oxford. The translators for the King James used Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. I also saw a copy of Moses Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, a commentary that hoped to be useful enough that Jews wouldn't have to consult any other text to apply Jewish law to their lives.
Magdalen College--Oxford University
Then we had a guided tour of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis worked as a professor. I felt like seeing his house was more exciting. Oxford offers traditional lectures and seminaries (through the university), especially in science and history. Oxford and Cambridge are both famous for tutorial, which is 1:1 teaching. You can't apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. Oxford colleges are mostly independent, like the 50 states of the U.S. There are 38 different colleges, and none are specialized, because they predate the idea of specialization.All the examinations in your subject area take place through the universityMagdalen is the third largest college with 670 members. It's the most traditional of the colleges, has its own statues with only two amendments: one to allow female students, the other to forbid life-long tenure.
The senior fellow/headmaster/dean/provost/president lives in the president's house. His private study is on the first floor, and has his own private garden. He can still teach in addition to administrating the college. this used to be a life long position at Magdalen until one president went mad.
Magdalen was a strategic position in the English Civil War (Parliament vs the King, Oxford sided with the King. People hurled stones from the bell tower, and when Parliament won, they destroyed most of this college.
The college has a fully-functional chapel that had seven services per week. Prayer services were compulsory until the 1920s, and were "said services" instead of sung services. It dates to the 15th Century, and has the earliest copy of Da Vinci's The Last Supper, possibly painted by one of Da Vinci's students. The windows have painted glass instead of stained glass, a rarity in England. It has assigned seating, and the seat where Lewis sat for morning prayers has a plaque on it.
One of our last stops was the "New Building," and by new, the tour guide meant 18th century construction. This building houses the politics and English literature departments. C.S. Lewis lived here. Oscar Wilde also lived in the building.
We ended the tour by walking on the Addisons Walk, where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien used to walk together. I did my best to walk C.S.-Lewis style, and not say anything as I walked. I maybe said two words. At the end was a bridge that featured a poem that Lewis had written.
We had several hours free time, in which me and Jordana wandered all over Oxford's city center. We walked by the Oxford Castle, sat in a restaurant, and walked down Dead Man's walk and the Broad Walk by Christchurch. After that we sat on one of the grassy spots, and people watched while I read some more. So far I like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets better than the first book.
The Eagle & Child
At the end of the day, we went to the Eagle and Child for dinner. For those that don't know, the Inklings often met here.
FYI, "soft-drinks" have a somewhat different meaning in England. I liked everything in our dinner but the Cumberland sausages. I just don't like sausage that much. My favorite were the beer battered mushrooms.
A Poem I wrote at the Bird & the Baby
Ginger for ginger curls,
with ginger root from ginger gardens
with a bird above me,
and a baby beside me,
I wondered if the bubbles in my lemonade were of a different sort.
Perhaps they had harvested ink from Tolkien's pen,
holy water for literary pilgrims,
or was it pollen from Jack's garden,
fairy dust for skeptic souls.
Perhaps I secretly sipped ent draught,
and tomorrow I'll wake up a inch taller.
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